Humus formation in soils of the Lena River Delta

• Main Authors: Поляков, Вячеслав Игоревич, Абакумов, Евгений Васильевич
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Russian
• Published: ФГБУН Институт почвоведения и агрохимии СО РАН 2021
• Subjects: полярные почвы; гумус; гуминовые вещества; 13С ЯМР-спектроскопия; микроморфология почв; дельта реки Лены; Арктика; polar soil; 13C (CP/MAS) NMR spectroscopy; soil micromorphology; Lena River Delta; Arctic; lena river; permafrost; Yakutia
• Online Access: https://soils-journal.ru/index.php/POS/article/view/163

The aim of the study. Nowadays close attention is paid to polar soils due to the expected landscape transformation rate under the predicted climate crisis. Intensive degradation of permafrost and the release of nutrients from their frozen state can lead to an increase in the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, as well as the loss of landscapes. The aim of the study was to investigate the peculiarities of organic residues formation and humification degree as well as humus structure and functioning in soil the Lena River Delta. Location and time of the study. The study was conducted on the Samoylov and Sardach Islands in the Lena River Delta (Yakutia, Russia). Field studies were performed during the summer of 2019. Objects and methodology. Soils of the Lena River Delta from the Samoylov Island (flooded area) and Sardakh (non-flooded zone), i.e. Subaquatic Fluvisol (Arenic) and Histic Cryosol (Siltic) were the objects of the study, respectively. To examine the features of humification chemical-analytical, sedimentation, micromorphological methods were used, as well as CP/MAS 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Main results. The data obtained indicate a high diversity of soils and soil formation conditions in the Lena River Delta. Under non-flooded conditions Histic Cryosol (Siltic) were formed in the flooded parts of the Samoylov Island, Subaquatic Fluvisol (Arenic) were formed. These soils play an important role in the global carbon cycle, accumulation, transformation and deposition of condensed high- and low molecular mass organic compounds in the composition of soils and permafrost. The main soil micromorphology features were identified. In the young landscapes the soil microstructure was represented by poorly sorted sand with a circular type of optical orientation of the soil plasma (which indicated the influence of the river), as well as vertically oriented micas (muscovite/biotite). Soils influenced by the floodplain process were characterized by the presence of coarse amorphous humus. Due to the long-term ...